Practicing Weissenborn Study #10
Performance and practice suggestions for Julius Weissenborn's Bassoon Studies, Opus 8, Study #10
Comments
Practicing Weissenborn Study #10 (2014, BDP #118). The public domain music for Opus 8/2 – 50 Advanced Studies is available here: Music from IMSLP | Alternate PDF
The original transcript is available here.
Videos
Captions are unavailable. The complete transcript follows.
Chapters
Transcript
00:00Dotted Eighth and Sixteenth Rhythms
Welcome, this is Terry Ewell. The tenth study by Weissenborn presents two specific challenges involving dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes. Many students perform this rhythm as though it were a triplet rather than the correct dotted-eighth/sixteenth rhythm. I recognize that historically these rhythms may have been performed as triplets. See my article In Search of the Borrowed Triplet Upbeat, The Double Reed 31/3 (2008): 95–102. However, in this study we will perform the rhythm as written, using dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes. Here is an example incorrectly performed as triplets. Example (Line 1) played with triplets.
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01:23Correct Rhythmic Interpretation
If you err, it is better for the sixteenth notes to be slightly shorter than slightly longer. Study #36 presents similar rhythmic issues. Here is the example correctly performed with sixteenth notes. Example performed with sixteenth notes.
01:55Avoid Accenting the Dotted Eighth
The second issue is that this rhythm often causes students to accent or pulse the longer note— the dotted eighth note. As a result, the shorter note becomes less audible, and the smooth melodic line is interrupted. Example poorly played. Example played correctly.
02:39Tempo and Phrasing
There are two places in the study where students often change the tempo. The second measure of the second line is frequently rushed. Also, work carefully with a metronome in the passages containing sixteenth-note triplets in the final two lines. I prefer to phrase the opening section in four-measure units. In the middle section, up to the fourth line, I use two-measure phrases. Line 1 Phrasing Line 4 Phrasing
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03:09Reflection
"Some simple techniques can decrease excessive pressure on wind instrumentalists' hands and fingers." (William J. Dawson, Fit as a Fiddle, p. 43) I remember that, as a student and young professional, I was reluctant to use a neck strap in addition to the seat strap. I viewed it as a sign of weakness. However, after an injury to my left shoulder, I was forced to use additional support for the bassoon on a regular basis. I immediately noticed not only relief in my left shoulder, but also less weight on my left hand. My left-hand fingers could move more freely as well. After that experience, I never returned to using only the seat strap. Tall players with long torsos place more of the bassoon's weight on the left hand than shorter players. Although the neck strap was a significant improvement for me, it also placed additional pressure on my neck and back muscles. More recently, I have been using a body harness instead of a neck strap. The body harness has worked extremely well for me. I encourage you to consider using a body harness together with a seat strap when playing the bassoon.
Credits
- author Terry B. Ewell
- composer Julius Weissenborn